BBC.co.uk

UK inflation rises to 1.0% in September

The UK inflation rate rose to 1.0% in September, up from 0.6% in August, according to official figures. It is the biggest monthly rise in the cost of household items in more than two years, the Office for National Statistics said. Rising prices for clothing, overnight hotel stays and motor fuels led to the rise in the Consumer Prices Index. Economists had forecast inflation of 0.9% as they expected the weaker pound to make imports more expensive. The Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation, which includes mortgage interest payments, rose to 2.0% in September from 1.8% in August.

Tesla told to dump Autopilot brand in Germany

Tesla has been told to drop the Autopilot brand name, which it uses to promote its driver-assistance software, in Germany.

The Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) confirmed it had told Tesla to scrap the “misleading” term. It said the term gave customers “incorrect expectations” that they could stop concentrating on the road and let Autopilot take over completely. Tesla said it had always told drivers to keep their hands on the wheel.

The Autopilot software helps cars:

stay in lane automatically

adjust their speed in reaction to other vehicles

change lane without the driver’s intervention

The Financial Times

Germany warns hard Brexit will damage UK car industry

The UK’s car industry is doomed to a sharp decline if the country loses access to the EU single market, the head of Germany’s auto industry lobbying group has warned, with automakers likely to move production to low-cost EU countries in eastern Europe. he comments by Matthias Wissmann mark the first time a senior figure in the German car industry has publicly outlined the consequences from a change to Britain’s trading arrangements with the EU for a sector that has powered the UK’s industrial renaissance in recent years. “If there’s a ‘hard Brexit’ then we will see a shift to central and south-eastern Europe,” Mr Wissmann, head of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, said, adding countries such as Slovakia and Poland “are very attractive, have low labour costs and are part of the EU”.

UK shuns court fight with VW over diesel scandal

The UK government does not plan to take legal action against Volkswagen over the emissions scandal despite being criticised by MPs for “inertia”. Instead of pursuing the German car giant in the courts, ministers and the transport department will “monitor” an existing criminal probe in Germany into the affair, which saw 11m cars — including more than 1m in the UK — fitted with cheating software to disguise their pollution levels from regulators. The Competition and Markets Authority will also not seek compensation for affected car owners in the UK in a civil case, though the government has promised to “provide any reasonable assistance” to consumers who plan to sue the company directly.

The Times

French carmaker blames Britain’s EU vote for job cuts

Brexit was blamed yesterday as being among the factors driving a programme of job cuts at Groupe PSA. Although the former Peugeot Citroën made a €1.21 billion first-half profit this year, it announced plans to shed 2,133 jobs next year through voluntary redundancies and early retirement. The French carmaker has cut 17,000 posts since 2013, when it suffered a €5 billion loss, but left-wing unions had called for a change in strategy after a 7 per cent rise in sales in the first six months of this year compared with the same period last year.

Apple’s self-driving car runs into a dead end

Apple’s success in transforming the way we communicate may not be replicated on the road. The company appears to have put its plans for self-driving cars on ice. The American tech giant has reportedly reassigned or dismissed hundreds of members of its 1,000-strong car team, known as Project Titan, which was responsible for developing the vehicles of the future. Instead, the company is said to be exploring the possibility of partnering with existing carmakers rather than building its own vehicles.

Automotive News

Audi said to delay tech projects as it cuts costs

Audi will delay technology projects to cut costs, sources at the company said, as it grapples with parent Volkswagen Group’s emissions scandal and the need for multimillion-euro investments in electric cars and autonomous driving. Audi, VW Group’s profit engine, has said it will scale back its conventional car program to fund a strategic shift to green vehicles and digital services through 2025 as competition with German rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz heats up. But cutbacks will also affect next-generation technology projects intended to help Audi clean up its image in the wake of the emissions scandal, two sources at Audi told Reuters.

Among other projects, Audi will postpone a test-track for self-driving vehicles and facilities to make batteries and concept cars, the sources said.